In a bid to get Vladimir Putin to engage in peace talks, the Trump administration has stopped Ukraine from striking into Russia with US missiles.
The bombshell revelation was first reported by the Wall Street Journal, who reported that the Pentagon personally stopped Ukraine from using the long-range US-made Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS).
Ukraine reportedly tried to use the deadly missiles inside of Russia, but was denied by a new ‘review’ begun by the Pentagon’s undersecretary for policy, Elbridge Colby.
But the ultimate decision is reportedly made by US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth, who only recently admitted that Russia was the aggressor in the Ukraine war.
Ukraine sparingly uses Western-made missiles, including UK Storm Shadow missiles, to hit inside Russia, but the weapons are vital in their defence as they continue to face Russian strikes.
Donald Trump has been clear on his stance about Ukraine’s use of the weapons, and said the use of them needs to end to reach peace in the region.
But other Ukrainian allies reportedly removed range restrictions on deadly weapons supplied to the country, in a major win against the Kremlin in May.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz indicated Britain has removed all restrictions on the distance Ukraine can fire UK-supplied Storm Shadow missiles inside Russian territory.
‘There are no longer any range restrictions on weapons supplied to Ukraine, neither by the British, nor by the French, nor by us. Nor by the Americans,’ he said.
‘This means that Ukraine can now also defend itself, including by attacking military positions in Russia, for example. It couldn’t do that until a while ago…. Now it can.’
Despite the UK allowing the use of Storm Shadow missiles, there have been few uses by Ukraine.
In November, Ukraine began using British-supplied missiles to strike Russia for the first time. The US also announced that Ukraine could use American weapons to attack Russia around the same time.
But before the announcement that many Western countries would allow the use of long-range missiles to hit Russia, foreign intelligence warned that Russia would likely conduct ‘lethal attacks’ in retaliation.
These range from arson and sabotage on facilities in Europe to potentially ‘lethal’ attacks on military bases in the United States and Europe.
Officials have attributed previous acts of sabotage in Europe to Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU.
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